A Fitting Memorial for September 11, 2001

In all but one of my posts today, I wrote about September 11, 2001.

I always thought that it was too bad that they didn't find a way to stabilize the outer part of the World Trade Center as a fitting memorial to those who died that day.  See the picture to the right of this.

I also would have liked the part of the USS Arizona above the water after the attack to have also been stabilized and left as a memorial for Pearl Harbor as well.

But, regardless, both now have had suitable memorials built for them.

The Day of Infamy, Dec. 7, 1941: House Votes To Make Pearl Harbor A Stand Alone Memorial Site

From the November 15, 2018 Stars and Stripes.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to make Pearl Harbor a stand alone memorial site.

The Pearl Harbor National memorial is now a part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument.  This also includes sites in California and Alaska.

Five sites of it are in Pearl Harbor:  the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Oklahoma Memorial, USS Utah Memorial, Battleship Row and Ford Island.

I am for it being a stand-alone Memorial.

Doing My Bit for the Veterans and Marines

What with the USMC birthday yesterday and Veterans Day today, I have been busy.

SATURDAY, NOV. 4

I attended the USMC birthday/Toys for Tots breakfast at the Fox Lake, Illinois, American Legion (See the Tom Grosvenor posts in this blog).  Later, in the afternoon, Liz and went to the Legion to see a band.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1O

Since this was the Marine Corps' 242nd birthday, I posted about the Marines to all seven blogs.

I went to the flag-raising for Lance Corporal Matthew S. Medlicott at Waukegan, Illinois, High School.  He was killed in Iraq in 2007.

I also saw the movie "Thank You for Your Service" at Fox Lake Theater.  This was a hard movie about problems soldiers faced with PTSD on their return to civilian life after posting to the Middle East.  Later, we met the Usual Suspects at the Legion for the 50-59.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11

Since this is Veterans Day, I posted about veterans on all seven blogs.  (Yesterday, I posted about the Marines on all seven blogs.

I went to the 11 a.m. ceremony at the Fox Lake train station honoring veterans, complete with speeches and a 21 gun salute.  Later tonight we will go to the Legion for the Lakes Area Swing band show with all that great World War II Big Band/Swing music.

Can't Do Enough For Our Veterans.  --RoadDog

Dedication of Vietnam Memorial Today in McHenry, Illinois

In just a little over an hour, I will be going to McHenry, Illinois, so I can be at the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial at Veterans Park.  i usually go to the ceremony at the train station in Fox Lake, but the Vietnam War was my generation's war, so it means even more to me.

This is a project by the McHenry High School Class of 1964, to honor three of its classmates who were killed over there.  It also honors another one from the Class of 1967, who also died.

Sadly, it is on a cold and nasty day outside, but these veterans had to overcome all sorts of weather -related hardships, so that is another way to honor their memory.

I will be writing about it tomorrow.

Thanks, Veterans from All Wars.

December 7th, 1941, a Day That Will Live in Infamy

This date, 66 years ago, shocked the United States and plunged us into WWII. I was not yet alive (born 1951), but this battle has been a major point of interest for me ever since reading Walter Lord's book "Day of Infamy" way back in the 60s.

I also enjoyed the movies "Tora, Tora, Tora" and "Pearl Harbor.  "I'll always remember being more than a little uncomfortable when Liz and I went to the Northern Illinois student union theater to see "Tora, Tora, Tora" back in 1970 or 1971. My Japanese history professor was sitting right in front of me and Liz got mad at the Japanese and started making all sorts of comments about them. I was sure I was going to have some very poor grades as a result, but didn't. "Hey, Liz, that's my prof in front of us. Ssshhhh."

In 2003, my mom was nice enough to take the whole family to Hawaii. I've always wanted to go to that state, and there was no way I'd ever not visit Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona. We went to it. The USS Missouri is now berthed about a half mile away from the remains of the Arizona. These two ships mark both the beginning and end of WWII for the U.S..

The drops of oil drifting up from the Arizona gave me the chills. After all these years to still have this really takes you back to December 7th.

This was a benchmark of my parents' generation, much like JFK's assassination was to mine, and 9-11 is to today's.

A Salute to Our Armed Forces, Both Past and Present. --RoadDog

Earl Morse's Honor Flights

I came across an article in the American Profile magazine about Earl Morse, who has started up an organization called Honor Flight, which takes WWII veterans to the National WWII Memorial in Washington, DC, at absolutely no cost to themselves.

Morse is a retired Air Force Captain and a licensed pilot. While working at the US Department of Veterans Affairs medical clinic in Springfield, Ohio, in 2004, he asked a patient, 78-year-old WWII vet Leonard Loy, if he was going to visit the new memorial. Loy said he didn't have enough money. Morse was already planning on flying his father, a Vietnam vet, to DC to see the Wall. Would Loy care to come with them? An idea was born.

Morse founded the non-profit Honor Flight Network in 2005, and has since taken over 1000 WWII vets to the memorial.

This is a man who has accomplished a great thing.

You can find out more at www.americanprofile.com "Honor Flight" by Marcia Schonberg July 29-Aug. 4, 2007.

My cousin Graham, a US Navy pilot during the Vietnam War, was involved with mercy flights to get people to hospitals for operations who could not afford to do it, for many years. I'll have to contact him to find out more about what he did.

My Great Thanks To People Who Do Things Like This. -- RoadDog